


Talent; Not Luck

by mmmdraco



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-17
Updated: 2012-07-17
Packaged: 2017-11-10 04:06:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/462029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/pseuds/mmmdraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At a crowded go tournament, Hikaru and Akira are back to back. They make a bet on who will win the tournament.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Talent; Not Luck

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I mean no harm, I have no money... Stuff like that. Yeah.

Touya Akira couldn't remember having ever been to a more packed go competition. Usually, pro players were given plenty of room to spread out, sit back, and generally relax at the goban as they planned their moves. However, this particular competition had been moved to a smaller hall when a larger event had been moved in for the same day. Due to this, each player really only had enough room to sit down and no more. As Touya generally preferred to sit back a bit from his board, this promised to be a big inconvenience to him. He could only hope a very short player would be sitting behind him, allowing him more room.

As often as Touya won competitions, he was not lucky; merely talented. It was this lack of luck which seemed to determine the seating for the competition. Each player was assigned a spot at a table. As this was a single elimination tournament, as players lost, they would leave. The half of the players with the highest win would be allowed to stay where they were while the other half would have to move to their tables for the next game. This would continue until a winner was declared. No one above a 6-dan was competing in this tournament, so Touya was reasonably certain that he was going to sitting in this same spot for several hours today. However, for the following day, most of the tables would be cleared out, so it would be better. Touya took his assigned seat and waited for his first opponent. Only a few minutes later, he felt someone kick his foot and he ignored it. Then, the wind was practically knocked out of him as someone else's back collided with his own. He turned around, ready to yell, but paused as he saw who had been so rude. "Shindou..."

"Hey, Touya! Boy, it's awfully crowded in here, and what a coincidence to play sitting next to you. Glad we're not playing each other first. I'd hate to have to see you go home so early." Shindou Hikaru, bleached bangs disgustingly bright in the fluorescent lighting, grinned at Touya who suddenly knew that no one had ever had luck as bad as his own. But, he was accomplished. He could work past bad luck.

Smiling at Shindou only slightly, Touya nodded. "I think it is I who would have had the... misfortune of seeing you leaving so soon after this tournament had begun. I acknowledge that you've gotten better, but you still can't beat me."

"Is that a bet, Touya?"

"If you'd like it to be, Shindou."

"At break, we'll discuss the terms. But, I intend to win this tournament. You will go down."

In the back of his mind, the words struck a nerve with Touya, but he didn't have the time to think about why. "We'll see."

And play began.

\----------------------------

While Touya could see that his opponent had talent, it wasn't enough that he needed to throw himself into the game. So, he casually leaned back a bit to allow his mind a bit of rest, and felt Shindou's shoulders against his own. It was strangely comfortable, but he immediately sat up a little straighter to avoid Shindou's touch and made his next move on the goban.

A few minutes later, Touya realized that Shindou was... leaning on him. Upon further reflection, he had been doing so for the past minute and Touya hadn't said anything. But, it only figured... this was just his luck.

Making another move on the board, Touya gave in to the inevitable and leaned back against Shindou as well. They supported each other and managed to find a comfortable position for them both rather quickly and without comment. Though Touya had been training most of his life for go seated like this at his father's goban reading over kifu and sorting out moves, he, like the relatively new-to-go Shindou, much preferred a chair with back support over inviting arthritis into his knees before he had even finished with puberty.

Now that he thought about it, Shindou also looked as though puberty was hitting him hard. He was much taller than the last time Touya could remember seeing him. He was more muscular, too, but then again, Shindou always wore baggy clothes and he *was* now pressed against Shindou. It only made sense to "notice" such a change, even if one wasn't actually evident. 

Looking back down to the goban, Touya made another move. His opponent cleared his through. "I just resigned."

Clearing his throat quickly, Touya picked up the last stone that he had played and placed it back with the others. "Thank you. It was a good game. Would you like to discuss it?"

The man shook his head. "I know my mistake. The lower left-hand corner. I am always weak there. Besides, I can see that you have other things on your mind. Thank you anyway, Touya-san. It was a wonderful game."

Touya wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to stand up and possibly make Shindou fall, nor did he want to nudge him and possibly upset him during a move. Therefore, he was surprised when Hikaru nudged him and then stood. He made a point of stretching his legs and yawning before commenting, "Geez, Touya. I've been waiting 5 minutes for you to finish. I wasn't going to wait much longer."

"You waited for me?" Touya hadn't been paying much attention to Shindou beyond the fact that he had changed somewhere along the line since he had met him and hadn't stood up by the time Touya had finished. "That was... nice of you. Thank you."

Hikaru scratched his nose lightly. "Well, it wouldn't have been nice to interrupt your game. I know the importance of good concentration after all."

Nodding, Touya smiled. "Mmm... Now, about that bet: are we betting money?"

Hikaru paused for a moment, clearly about to give a positive response. Then, he spoke, "No. Not money. We're making money now. Let's not mix business and pleasure."

"Ah, yes, but which is which? We play go for fun *and* for profit."

"But, regardless, it comes down to pleasure. I don't want to go the cheesy route of having you be my slave for a day if you lose, no matter how tempting the idea is. Maybe the loser has to clean the winner's room?"

Touya raised an eyebrow. "My room is already clean."

Hikaru pouted softly, and Touya found it endearing, though the thought was in the back of his mind. Playing with a string on his shirt, Hikaru said, "Yeah, but my room isn't clean. I've got kifu littering my floor. I have a stack of old copies of Weekly Go about three feet tall that toppled over the last time I tried to play a game against myself and got into an argument."

"How do you play against yourself, exactly?" Touya asked, though he was relatively certain that at least the second part of Hikaru's words had been false.

"It's easy. You have to move around the goban, but when we do nothing but sit on our butts and play, it's good for us. You simply close your mind off to everything but determining the next best move for you. You play as yourself on one side, and as a familiar opponent on the other side. While it's easy to determine the moves, you also force yourself to think as that person, thereby thwarting yourself continuously. In the end, of course, you win, but you also lose. I find it helps me get ready for battling an opponent I usually treat as a friend. So, Isumi, Waya, you... But, I play like that other times, too."

Touya smiled. "Who do you play against most often during those times?"

Hikaru smiled softly, though his eyes dropped down and off to one side. "Shuusaku... but I play against you, as well. You're my rival... you're always on my mind." He suddenly looked up again. "How about... loser gives the winner a back rub?"

Momentarily, Touya was taken aback. "Give what? Shindou..."

Hikaru pulled on the string he'd been playing with earlier. "Forget I said it. It's just... sitting like this, in seiza, really makes my back ache. I have this little pad I use to warm it up a bit, but you have to put it in the microwave. And, um, I broke our microwave."

"Sure, Shindou. A back rub it is, then. Just keep in mind that you won't be getting any satisfaction from it and your hands are going to ache afterward." Touya grinned broadly and then turned and walked out of the room, first to report his win, and then off to the break room until the next game was set to begin.

For the next game, they only waited for a few moments before settling back against one another. Touya did his best not to think about the implications, and was set with another win. A moment after his match, he heard Hikaru cheer to himself and turned to see that Hikaru had won again. They announced their wins and each grabbed a bottle of water to quench their thirsts. They did not speak, but they stood together, guarding the air between them like it was their most precious treasure.

When the next game began, Touya found himself facing a particularly difficult opponent. He kept leaning forward to get a better look at the board, and was beginning to feel the stress he associated with playing Shindou and not quite knowing whether he would win or lose, but it lacked the style that Shindou played with, so he was relatively certain that his reading of the hands would serve him well. He eventually sat back for a moment and felt Hikaru's back against his again, and it was warm. It was comforting. Suddenly, Touya knew he could win the match. With only four stones, he completely obliterated his opponent. He turned to Hikaru to let him know, only to see the boy smile. "It's about time you finished. I won almost 10 minutes ago! Come on, I want some juice."

It was the last game of the day, but Touya still followed Hikaru to the drink machines and got a can of sweetened green tea for himself as Hikaru got a can of orange juice. He drank most of the can in one long swallow, then pressed the cool can to the side of his face. Hikaru turned to Touya and smiled, bringing his drink down from his face. Some of the condensation beaded on his flesh and he wiped it away casually with the back of his hand. "So, I'll see you tomorrow then, huh?"

Touya nodded. "And afterward, the winner will claim their reward." He took a final sip of his tea, not quite finishing it off, and tossed the can into the recycling bin.

Hikaru nodded back firmly. "I'm looking forward to it. I hope you know what you're doing!" Then, before Touya could get another word in, he was off, his orange juice still in one hand and the other held up in a gesture of goodbye. 

Touya slept somewhat fitfully that night, though he couldn't figure out why. His brain was mulling over something, and it was something to do with Hikaru, but he couldn't figure it out exactly. Maybe it was just that they had been acting too much like close friends that day when they were rivals who should have bristled at the sight of one another. Yet, it was so much more comfortable and nice to feel Hikaru's back against his own and to get a drink with him than it was to be alone. Maybe his brain was telling him that he did need a friend. After all, without trying to be, Touya was an outcast from everything but the world of go, and there weren't many people his age who were interested in go without either hating him or being in awe of him. Hikaru, it seemed, was the lone exception.

But, then again, there was a reason he was Touya's eternal rival. It wasn't just the fact that Hikaru was of an age with him, or at around the same experience level. It wasn't even simply a matter of skill level. It was a direct competition to see who could have more passion for the game and go further with it utilizing everything that they had going for them. So far, Akira thought, he had done a good job. But, then again, so had Hikaru. Thus continued the rivalry.

The second morning of the matches, Touya was looking forward to having more room to stretch out. However, he was sorely disappointed when he found out that a similar version of the tournament was being held for amateurs in the same room later on that day. Therefore, the tables had not been moved. And, upholding the original rules of the tournament, Touya and Hikaru would be back to back again.

Then again, Touya thought, it might not be so bad. In truth, Hikaru was not a bad companion. When sharing space with him the previous day, he had been considerate. He had been quiet. And, he had been warm. Since there were computers set up along one wall of the room, the entire space was kept cool. That added bit of warmth had helped Touya concentrate on winning his final game the day before.

Today, having woken up with a slight backache, Touya had every intention of winning the tournament and holding Hikaru to their bet. However, when Hikaru walked in a few minutes later grimacing as he stretched, it seemed that he, too, would be trying his best to win. Perhaps it wasn't the best reason to want to win a tournament, but it would keep him focused nonetheless.

Just before the first game was set to start, Hikaru and Touya took their seats and immediately leaned against each other. In tandem, they turned slightly until they were practically cheek to cheek and said, "I'll win today." They both laughed briefly, then turned back to their games, their focus never wavering until they had finished. Touya finished almost a half hour before Hikaru this time, but did not attempt to move from his position until Hikaru had finished his game. Once he had, they both went and got something to drink. There would only be two more games in the day. It would only be in the final game that they would match against each other. But, Touya was looking forward to it greatly. The prize money for this tournament was decent, but the coverage was even better. There weren't many single-elimination tournaments in the go world, and to win one was considered quite a feat. For Touya and Hikaru to have remained in the game so long would once against bring to the forefront the fact that the young players were the ones advancing the most toward attaining the Hand of God.

As Touya set his stones on the goban for the final game before he would play Hikaru, he recognized that he had a tough opponent, but he simply looked beyond this game. He couldn't lose here. If he did, then he wasn't worthy of being Hikaru's rival. It was as simple as that. Hikaru was the only one he could lose to, and as he hadn't lost to the boy yet, he had no intention of doing so.

When Hikaru won, Touya felt the subtle difference in the way he was holding himself. He leaned back against Touya just a bit more, adding a comfortable amount of pressure. It was just enough that it spurred Touya to quickly take his win rather than going at his opponent's pace.

For their next game, they did not pause beforehand to get something to drink. It was Akira versus Hikaru, and that was that. Nothing else figured into the equation.

However, Touya found himself thrown slightly off guard as Hikaru stood up and moved around Touya's goban to sit facing him, rather than at his back. For all that he knew this was going to happen, the actual event surprised him just enough that he had to fumble with incoherent thoughts for a moment before actual play began. But, when it did, it was the old rivalry. Touya won nigiri and placed the first stone as a question of Hikaru's nerve. Hikaru's first stone answered his question and asked another. Touya was quick to respond. Despite the fact that this match was not a game of speed go, it seemed to have turned into one. But, then again, their matches were always fast and furious, like the rocking of a boat on rough seas.

The game only took twenty-five minutes. It only took Touya fifteen of those minutes to realize that he was going to lose. But, the look that Hikaru had given him seemed to say that Hikaru knew there was a way to win, but he couldn't see it. Touya had played, and had looked for that one move that had to be a weakness, for an additional ten minutes until he had placed a stone next to a seemingly unimportant piece and had seen a look of triumph cross Hikaru's face. On his next turn, Touya bowed his head. "I have lost." He paused. "Shindou, you have an incredible affinity for reading ahead. I couldn't even see where that move was headed." Touya knew that when this match was written up in Weekly Go, no one else would be able to understand why he'd resigned. But, then again, Hikaru was his rival. It only made sense.

The boys had to stick around for a short press session, but they were free to leave after that. Each gathered his things and they met at the doorway. Touya cleared his throat as Hikaru slid his jacket on. "So, um, the bet. Where do we want to do this?"

Hikaru's eyes froze open for a moment. "Uh... how about my room? My house isn't too far away from here. It's only a few blocks."

Touya nodded, and Hikaru led the way. Hikaru's parents weren't home, and had left money for him to get pizza, deliberately specifying that he not have ramen as he ate too much of it as it was. They left their jackets on hooks by the door, abandoning their shoes as well, and Touya continued to follow Hikaru. They ascended the stairs and there, just off to the left, was Hikaru's room.

Somehow, Touya had expected it to be messier than it was. Certainly, Hikaru's room wasn't organized, but the only things he had laying on the floor were a few old copies of Weekly Go and a handful of photocopies of some of what looked to be Shuusaku's kifu. There were careful notations written at the top of each page in a slightly messy hand with words like, "Useful for matches against Kurata" and "Saving for use with Ogata". On Hikaru's desk was an English workbook, the pages slightly dog-eared with stray pencil marks on the pages. Then, there was the bed. Touya took one look at it and had to smile. "Shindou... why does your bed look like a goban?"

Hikaru smiled and walked over to the bed, patting the pillow. "When I got my first paycheck, I decided that I wanted to get some manga I've been wanting. On my way to the store, I saw this fabric on display at a window and I walked in and asked how much it would cost for them to turn it into a blanket. It was actually cheaper than if I'd gone out to buy a brand new blanket, and it's handmade. I like it a lot. I'd been needing a new one anyway." He smiled. "If I ever master the Hand of God, I'm learning how to sew and putting my kifu on here." He took off his socks and put them in the hamper. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Touya was caught off guard, but he only took a moment to answer. "I guess just lay face-down on the bed." Hikaru did as much, and Touya walked over and carefully climbed on top of him, kneeling just over the tops of the back of Hikaru's thighs. He placed his hands on Hikaru's shoulders and began to knead the flesh there, easing the tension out of it. He started to work his way down Hikaru's back, but paused momentarily. He backed off and said, "Shindou, would you take your shirt off? It's too baggy. I can't get to your back as well as I'd like." His words surprised him. As well as he'd like? This wasn't a matter of liking. It was a matter of honor.

Hikaru did pull off his t-shirt, and then cradled his head in a pillow of his arms as Touya continued to work at his muscles, kneading them and maneuvering them until his entire body felt like gelatin. Touya admired the muscles in Hikaru's back and how they flexed when he moved. It was just enough of a whisper of definition to make it a pleasant sight. However, just as Touya's hands and shoulders were about to start getting tired, Hikaru started to get up. "You take your shirt off, too."

"But, Shindou, you won!" Touya protested. "You don't have to give me a back rub."

Hikaru took charge and stripped Touya of his shirt. Touya let out a gasp of indignation, but let himself be pushed facedown on the bed without much resistance. Not even a minute later, he was glad of it. Hikaru's hands were magic with more than just go. They were everywhere at once, kneading and pushing and easing the tension right out of him. Before he knew it, he too was gelatin, except for one certain part of him. To his embarrassment, Hikaru's ministrations had excited him and his member was engorged and throbbing; pressed firmly against Hikaru's mattress. It had all felt so good! In fact, even now, with Hikaru pressed gently against him from above, it felt good. And, wait, was Hikaru hard as well? Touya smiled inwardly at the fact. So, Hikaru's back rub had obviously felt as good as his own. Was it just something about handling go stones that made a man good with his hands?

Touya wasn't certain about what to do. He didn't want to turn over and reveal himself to Hikaru, but it seemed like the only option. That is, until Hikaru got up and Touya felt arms wrapping around him and turning him over, and then there was a wisp of soft breath playing across his lips as Hikaru whispered, "I'm sorry. I have to do this." Then, Touya got his first kiss from anyone he actually cared about.

Touya had been kissed before, but he'd never kissed back. It was always better not to encourage his crazy female fans, and he had been so surprised the first few times he had been kissed that he hadn't tried to respond. So, today marked the first momentous occasion concerning kissing for him. Today was the first day he kissed back. It wasn't a conscientious effort. It was merely that Hikaru was someone special to him, and the kiss felt good. It seemed only natural to respond. And, so, he had.

Hikaru's fingers had twined in Touya's hair and the kiss had been rather fast, but it had passion. Touya had no idea what he was doing, but it felt right, so he didn't stop to question it. It was like go. He saw a win several steps ahead with this method, so unless he had reason to re-evaluate the situation, this was the best course and he should concentrate on staying on it.

After a long pause in which Hikaru pulled away from Touya and looked at him long enough to realize that Touya was not going to punch him, kick him, or try to run away, Hikaru placed another kiss on Touya; on his shoulder. He placed a line of these tentative kisses all along the length of Touya's arm, then connected them to Touya's stomach and back up to his chest. When Touya let out his first moan, Hikaru picked up the pace slightly.

Touya felt Hikaru's lips slide up to his neck just as he felt fingers begin to work at the button on his pants. His zipper slid down as Hikaru nipped gently at Touya's neck, and suddenly Hikaru's hand was wrapped around him and stroking him firmly. 

Never having given himself pleasure, all of these sensations were new to Touya who gasped for air and searched for words; unable to find quite enough of either to satisfy his feelings. 

It didn't take much for Touya to explode in ecstasy, feeling as though his joints had suddenly dissolved. "Shindou..." he said as he finished. 

Hikaru met his gaze. "Touya..." He looked away briefly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, um, take advantage of you or anything." 

Touya blinked in surprise. "No! I... well, that wasn't what I was expecting, but if I didn't like it, I would have asked you to stop." He sat up slightly. "You know me that well, at least."

Nodding, Hikaru patted Touya's stomach briefly. "That's true. Now, hold still. Let's get you cleaned up."

Though Touya had never masturbated, he'd had several wet dreams before, so this situation of cleaning up wasn't entirely unfamiliar to him. Though, in truth, it did feel more than a bit strange to have Hikaru doing it. Touya had never been ashamed of his body, and had never made an attempt to hide it. But, for something this personal... and, yet, Hikaru had started it all. And, in truth, Touya was glad. It had been a pleasing experience. And, as he thought about it, Touya realized that his relationship with Hikaru already transcended the bonds of traditional rivals. This had simply been a physical mutation of those bonds. When Touya thought of it like that, it was no longer an issue. It was merely another step in the right direction.

Hikaru approached Touya with a wadded-up t-shirt and wiped him off, placing a soft kiss to his abdomen after finishing his clean-up. "There you go."

Touya shyly moved his underwear back into place and zipped and buttoned his pants back up. Then, realization... "Shindou, you didn't..."

Smiling, Hikaru put his arm around Touya and pulled him a bit closer. "No, I didn't. But, if you don't mind, there's always next time. We're rivals, after all, so we can't really not see each other at all." He paused and a serious look came over his face. "It comes down to whether or not you want to only be rivals, or whether you think we can be something else as well."

Touya took his time to think about the possible moves. Then, he answered. "As far as I can see, there shouldn't be any problems with it."

Hikaru smiled. "Maybe, just maybe, you'll get as good at reading ahead as I am. It took you too long this time."

Feeling Hikaru's arm draped around him possessively, Touya took a moment to truly realize just how this felt. This was... He felt... loved. And, as he thought further, he realized that he had come to have a deep affection toward Hikaru and all of the things he did. All of the fights they'd ever had led them up to this moment.

For all that Touya had to work hard to get things done because nothing good ever just happened to him, for once... this felt like the work of luck. And, if luck felt like this, Touya only hoped he would get lucky again soon.


End file.
